Breadcrumb

Hood College is committed to providingreasonable services and accommodations for students with identified disabilities. The College recognizes the importance of Service Animals as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Amendments Act of 2008 (ADA/ADAA).

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a Service Animal as a dog individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability, including physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. In some instances, as set out in the ADA regulations at § 35.136(i), a trained miniature horse may be used as an alternative to a dog.

The work the Service Animal has been trained to do must relate directly to the person’s disability.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

Helping a blind or low-vision person with navigation or other tasks

Alerting individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to the presence of people or sounds

Pulling a wheelchair

Alerting and protecting a person with a seizure disorder

Calming a person with PTSD during an anxiety attack

Reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications

The College may make a limited inquiry to the Handler regarding a Service Animal. The ADA has approved two questions that may be asked:

1) Is the animal required because of a disability; and

2) What work or task has the animal been trained to do?

The person cannot be asked to define his or her disability, provide medical documentation, provide proof of training or ask the dog to demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task.

Requests to keep a Service Animal in the residence halls should be addressed to the Office of Accessibility Services prior to moving into the residence hall. In considering the request, the Office of Accessibility Services will consider the needs of the student as well as the impact of the animal on the campus community.

Students seeking to have a Service Animal in housing must submit a request for accommodation each academic year. Animals may not be in residence prior to approval by the Office of Accessibility Services.

Are you ready to say Hello?

Through an integration of the liberal arts and the professions, Hood College provides an education that empowers students to use their hearts, minds and hands to meet personal, professional and global challenges and to lead purposeful lives of responsibility, leadership, service and civic engagement.